New Year's Wish

as the Old Year steals away into the night
it takes with it
memories of the year-
some good, some not so good
new friendships and old
unresolved dreams and visions,
and some personal goals met
and experiences

that i would not want to change-
not one bit,
but all of "it"

afforded me the opportunity
to be the person i am right now~
to welcome this New Year-

a gift
that is filled with "ties";
opportunities...
possibilities...
for those dreams
and visions
and goals
to become realized
and acted upon
and for all to be calmed
and filled with a peaceful hope
as a New Year begins -
again.

One of my favorite Eagles songs is "I Wish You Peace,"

and the lyrics sum up my wish for all of YOU in this new year:

"I Wish You Peace"

I wish you peace when the cold winds blow
Warmed by the fire's glow
I wish you comfort in the, the lonely time
And arms to hold you when you ache inside

I wish you hope when things are going bad
Kind words when times are sad
I wish you shelter from the, the raging wind
Cooling waters at the fever's end

I wish you peace when times are hard
The light to guide you through the dark
And when storms are high and your, your dreams are low

I wish you the strength to let love grow on,
I wish you the strength to let love flow

Memories... (OSI)

gathered memories
to comb through and untangle
on a winter's day

vividly recall
re-live, re-examining
look for things I missed

This week's prompt is "comb" over at OSI. I posted this week only because I haven't missed a week in 2 almost 2 years! I am on Christmas break this week and last and have been having a hard time finding time to visit the computer, so I apologize if I have not commented on your posts, but it IS on my agenda when I can get some down time to do so! I am almost (I said almost) looking forward to going back to school and getting back into routine. I need a break from Break!!!! Have a great end to 2010!!
ALSO- if ANYONE knows how I can make my picture at the top in the header smaller, could you PLEASE let me know? I am using the watermark template and whenever I preview the picture it looks fine and then it is huge when it is applied to the blog (and that is after checking the box- shrink to fit) I am stumped, stymied, and stuck about what to do, so any suggestions would be helpful!!! Thanks so much!!!

Merry Christmas!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Let your heart be light

From now onour troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Make the Yule-tide gay

From now on our troubles will be miles away

Here were are as in olden days happy golden days of yore

Faithful friends who are dear to us gather near to us once more

Through the years we all will be together

If the Fates allow

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now

My wishes for you on this Holiday is...wherever you are, whatever you do - may you be surrounded with a sense of peace and contentment and be able to capture the child-like wonder and excitement and magic of truly believing in the season and all of its gifts~~~

Merry Christmas to ALL and to all...a Good-Night!!!

The images are from a cd that I own, so PLEASE feel free to copy and use them if you would like!! Enjoy!

Stillness Abounds

Winter's warm embrace

wraps her arms

around our hearts

insulating them in her softness

as we gather

our dreams and memories and prayers

to go deep

deep into Winter's soul

where a sense of

quiet

stillness

peace

transcends over all~

while above-

the faded light
slowly returns~

gifts are readied

stars shine bright-
especially one,
and

angels gather~

in anticipation

and hope...

This week's prompt at OSI is stillness- please check out the other poems that incorporate this word.

I hope this Winter brings to you a sense of stillness in your corner of the world.

PEACE!

A Theatrical Treat!

The other day after school, my school's Drama department was treated to a visit from 2 of the stars of the Chicago production of the Million Dollar Quartet; Kelly Lamont and David Lago.

Kelly and David are both right now starring in the Million Dollar Quartet at the Apollo Theater in Chicago. David is starring as Elvis and Kelly is playing his girlfriend, Dyanne. Kelly is a native of Orland Park, graduate of Sandburg High School (one of the local high schools) and is friends with our Drama sponsor Katie. Kelly has been with the production since October of 2008 in MDQ. David comes from California and has been on shows such as Young and The Restless (for which he won an Emmy for his portrayal of Raul) and 7th Heaven. He has been with MDQ since 2009.

They sat and talked with about 100 kids about their lives both on and off stage and the motivation needed to follow your dreams. They shared funny stories, took questions from the kids, sang, David played his guitar, and even invited the kids to come on-stage and dance with them. The kids were even able to do a number from the musical that they are currently working on; The Music Man. These 2 actors had the crowd mesmerized (myself included) for about an hour and a half and ended the session with a raffle of 4 pairs of tickets to the show for lucky winners. It was a wonderful end to the day for all involved and it sure makes me want to go see the show!!!

Winner!

to win

is to triumph

over challenges

adversaries

hurdling forward

making attempts

to move ahead

yet~

winning isn't everything

the winning is

actually

in the doing;

the risking

taking action

and sometimes

that can hurt,

but unless you

take that risk

to move

to do-

you won't know

the result

and regardless

of the outcome

because of that

action or risk

you are

the winner!

The prompt at OSI this week is "winner." Please check the other poems out!

Skating Away

click here to see a beautiful version of the Joni Mitchell classic song "River" with some beautiful winter photographs to go with.

River

Joni Mitchell

It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees

They're putting up reindeer

And singing songs of joy and peace

Oh I wish I had a river

I could skate away on

But it don't snow here

It stays pretty green

I'm going to make a lot of money

Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene

I wish I had a river

I could skate away on

I wish I had a river so long

I would teach my feet to fly

Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on....

The lyrics of that song seem to embody my mood as of late. The Holiday season is so full of expectations and pressure that sometimes I do WISH I had a river to skate away on. For many people the holidays are filled with trepidation, sadness and painful memories. I know for me personally that there are some people that I really have been missing a lot lately that are no longer part of my life and that is hard. Memories swirl around me and it's sometimes hard to put those aside especially during this time of year when one is expected and sometimes required to be "up" and happy through it all when all they want to do is skate away...


I wish all the people -including myself- who are struggling this Holiday season to be able to find some semblance of peace....





When I was in the forest preserve yesterday morning before school (7:00) to take pictures there was a man taking pictures of his 3 children out on the ice - most likely the Christmas picture- it was very sweet to see.

Free

i dreamed

that i could fly...

really fly

way up with the clouds

and the wind...

slip-sliding down the rainbows

playing tag

with the sunbeams and snowflakes

and racing the raindrops~

it was a glorious, giggly feeling-

this flying...

free of all the tethers

of my world-

like a let-go balloon

floating sedately

up into the netheregions-

rising beyond gazes

until seen no more-

but not gone...

just flying...

free

The prompt this week at OSI is" free." Please feel free to visit the site and see how the prompt is interpreted by others. Have a wonderful week and thank you fro all the comments!

The prompt for OSI this week is the word "meld" which is actually the word I picked! It is a word I use a lot when talking and writing, but when I went to my favorite on-line dictionary site to double check the meaning I started to get scared. The first definition that came up dealt with playing cards (pun intended) and I had to dig to find the definition for how I use the word (which is "to blend"). So with that in mind, it will be interesting to see how everyone used this particular prompt.

If I were a book....
My cover
would be eye catching-
decorated
with colorful words,
fabric and lace
and vintage images...

My binding
would be
tough,
but well- worn
and well- read
lasting the test of time...
(starting to fray maybe just a little)


My pages~
like the years-
melded together -
woven
with special memories
and experiences...
snapshots
of the people
and places and times
that make my life my own
filled with
the poetry of my life.

There would be pockets
and little niches
that would house
the special tokens
of my life
important icons
important to only me.

Hopefully this book
would be handed down
from generation to generation
and read often

These pictures are repeats (sorry) of a book that my dad made for me many years ago with verses, poetry, and flowers from special places. It is one of my favorite treasures and thought it fit perfectly with this poem.

Thanksgiving

"Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life... a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year - and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God." ~Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson)

My wish for you this Thanksgiving is that you have some time to reflect on the gratitude and abundance that surrounds you in your life and to remember that in all the days that follow. There's just so much goodness in the world and really so much to be thankful for!

On a personal note- I am so very thankful for all the wonderful people I have met through my blog and consider each of you a blessing in my life! My life is enriched by you being a part of it!

However you celebrate this holiday I hope you enjoy it to the fullest!!!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

"Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds." ~Theodore Roosevelt

Work in Progress (Apprentice)

This week's prompt at OSI is "Apprentice." I love how these prompts tend to align with whatever is going on in my life at the moment both literally and often on a higher more abstract level as well. Here is a haiku for the prompt as well as another poem...

a work in progress

an apprentice to my life

who I want to be

******************

a beginner

and a learner...

always~

attempting

to grow and change

unfurling wings

that have been

held tightly closed

and sometimes

even clipped.

looking to be

unchained

from all the

~"isms"

that have

grounded

and stymied me

for so long...

learning to fly?

(and maybe even one day to soar)

...trying to acknowledge

the "Messengers"

that have been sent to me...

it's up to me

to receive their messages,

to ponder their meanings

and apply them where needed

and then

let those "Messengers" go

(if i can- the hardest part yet...)~

i have all the tools of the trade

that i need,

but

i can't do this alone...

Below are some cards I made for a card swap for Red Lead. I only had to make 3 Christmas/ winter cards using stamps from their store. No problem there as I realized I had more of their stamps than I thought. I can't wait to get my swap cards!

Below are my WIPs; works in progress in cross stitch-ese. The first is Belle Pepper from Little House Needleworks. I actually kept the colors the same but got different material. It's hard to see , but mine is very sparkly and over-dyed, giving it a mottled look.

This is my Crescent Angel by The Primitive Needle- this is almost done!

The bottom picture is ALL I accomplished in about an hour's worth of time last night at my friend Jayne's house (after ripping out the second row about 5 times). It is my first real attempt on linen and I am not doing really well. All my stitching friends are very supportive and so helpful (thanks again Karin for all your patience), but for some reason it is just so hard for me to do the counting and visualizing required to make this work. And of course everyone makes it look so darn easy. I gave up last night but I will attempt this again soon, as I just love the look that the different fabrics have.

Echoes

echoes
of voices in my past
invade my thoughts
when I least expect them to~
ringing loud and clear-
stopping me dead in my tracks
with yearning, sadness, regret, and anger
so profound
it can literally
take my breath away~
why can't these voices
be reduced to a
faint whisper
and gently
fade away
to
a
wispy
nothingness
and just leave me alone
to heal,

get on with my life
and
just
be?

This week's prompt at OSI is "echoes"- please check out the other poems!

Time Out- OSI

OSI's prompt this week is "pause." I find November to be the perfect pause before the holiday season and all of the things that go with it are upon us. This past weekend I had the opportunity to go up near Rockford to visit a college friend for our Annual Fall Visit. We took a road trip up to Mineral Point, WI on Saturday to enjoy the fall scenery and the charm of a small town. It was just perfect...

November~
the proverbial pause
before the freneticness sets in~
a time to draw in
as the shadows darken
and deepen
to rest, re-charge, and reflect
to gather
thoughts on thankfulness
and my life's bounties
to revel in the final
golden glow
before
descending into
the depth of the season